“Would have made, Herr Count; would have
made! The escapement suddenly announced that
the cloth could not be purchased; for, while the dispute
about the colors of the uniform had been going on,
the greedy merchants had advanced the price of all
cloths to such an exorbitant figure that the government
could n’t afford to buy it.”

“To the cuckoo with your escapement! The
men have got to have uniforms!”

“Beg pardon; don’t begin yet to waste
expletives, else you will not have any left at the
end of the hour! The counties then agreed to pay
the sum advanced on the original price of the cloth,
whereupon the escapement said the money would have
to be forthcoming at once, as the cloth could not
be bought on credit.”

“Well, is there no treasury which could supply
enough funds for this worthy object?” asked
the count.

“Yes; there is the public treasury for current
expenses. But the treasurer will not give any
money to the militia until they are mounted and equipped;
the escapement will not furnish the cloth for the uniforms
without the money; and the treasury will not give any
money until the militia has its uniforms!”

“Well, a man can fight without a uniform.
If only these men have horses under them and weapons
in their hands—­”

“Two of these requisites we already have; but
the escapement announces that arms of the latest improvements
cannot be furnished, because the government has not
got them.”

“Well, the old ones will answer.”

“They would if we had enough flints;
but they are not to be had, because the insurrectionary
Poles have captured the flint depot in Lemberg.”

“Each man certainly could get a flint for himself.”

“Even then there are only enough guns for about
one half of the men. The escapement suggested
that to those who had no arms it would furnish—­halberds!”

“What? Halberds!” cried Vavel, losing
all patience. “Halberds against Bonaparte?
Halberds against the legions who have broken a path
from one end of Europe to the other with their bayonets,
and with them carved their triumphs on the pyramids?
Halberds against them? Do you take me to be a
fool, Herr Vice-palatine?”

He sprang to his feet and began to pace the floor
excitedly, his guest meanwhile eying him with a roguish
glance.

“There!” at last exclaimed Herr Bernat,
“I will not tease you any longer. Fortunately,
there is a clock-repairer who, so soon as he perceived
how tardily the hands performed their task, with his
finger twirled them around the entire dial, whereupon
the clock struck the hour. This able repairer
is our king, who at once advanced from his own exchequer
enough money to equip the militia companies, distributed
six thousand first-class cavalry sabers and sixteen
cannon, and loaned the entire Hungarian life-guard
to drill the newly formed regiments. And now,
I will wager that our noble militia host will be ready
for the field in less than thirty days, and that they
will fight as well as the good Lord permitted them
to learn how!”